L'Oreal Age Perfect Instant Radiance BB Cream Review in Light Medium

There are so many BB Creams on the market these days, it can be a bit overwhelming.  Just about every drugstore makeup/skincare brand has their own version, and the new Age Perfect Instant Radiance BB is L'Oreal's third (after Youth Code BB and Magic Skin Beautifier BB that came out over the summer).  

This one is for "mature skin", and even though I'm only in my early 30's, my skin is really dry so I was hoping that this would work really well for me, since other BB's I've tried haven't been super moisturizing.  
This one is also supposed to fade spots with Vitamin C and Soy Seed Protein- an added plus!

Here are the details on the packaging:

I was surprised to see that this BB Cream is one of those shade-adjusting formulas that starts out white and turns into it's final shade when you're working it into the skin.  However, if you've tried the Magic Skin Beautifier BB that L'Oreal launched over the summer, I have to say that this isn't like that one at all.  

There are tiny beads in suspended in the cream that break and disburse color upon application, but unlike the Magic BB, I didn't even feel the beads in this one- it wasn't grainy at all.  The cream is thicker and spreads very easily- it felt like a luxurious moisturizer would.  When I blended it in, it was like a drink of water for my dry, thirsty skin.

Once you really start to rub the product in, it starts to turn into the shade it's going to be- this one looked a little dark at first, but as I continued to blend, it actually blended in with my fair skin pretty well.  

Like other BB Creams, Age Perfect doesn't give much coverage- it's more like a tinted moisturizer.  But, it's my favorite BB so far because of the thick, luxurious texture and dewy glow without looking shiny.  I happened to be having a good skin day today, and didn't need much in the way of coverage, and this just made my skin glow and look amazing.  It doesn't sink into lines and wrinkles, and actually seemed to plump up my skin a bit. Sometimes foundation can age you by accentuating the wrinkles, so if you're willing to sacrifice a little coverage, this might be a great option for those who don't want to wear a mask everyday.   I can't wait to see if it fades spots as it claims to do, but I have a feeling that will take weeks.  

If you have oily skin, this will probably feel too thick and heavy for you. 

Garnier Ultra Lift 2-in-1 Wrinkle Reducer Serum + Moisturizer Follow Up

About a month ago, I reviewed Garnier's new Ultra Lift 2-in-1 Wrinkle Reducer Serum + Moisturizer, and I was really happy with the immediate wrinkle-plumping effects- it made them disappear!  However, the next morning, they were back.  So I wanted to see if it actually reduced wrinkles over time.
I've used it twice a day since I got it in the beginning of January, and I'm happy to report that my wrinkles have softened quite a bit! 
The pictures below have not been retouched at all, and both were taken right after washing my face before putting any skincare products. 


So here's my before: 

And here's my after ( the wrinkles are barely visible now!) : 

So needless to say, this has worked amazingly well for me!  My skin is also smoother, more even toned, and more moisturized, even after cleansing, so I'm really really happy with this product!  
Skincare products always take at least 4 weeks to work, so don't give up if you don't see improvement after 2 weeks.  I really didn't see much of a difference until the very last few days.  


To see my original post, click here. 

Garnier Ultra Lift 2-in-1 Wrinkle Reducer Serum + Moisturizer Review

I already love Garnier skincare products, but this one took my love to a whole new level.   It's a serum and moisturizer in one which is great, because it saves you from buying and using two different products. This cost around $16 at Walgreens, which isn't so bad at all, especially since it's a 2-in-1.
 Here's the ingredients panel and some box photos:

You may not be able see it very well in the photo, but the serum and moisturizer are swirled together in the tube, and when you press the pump down, they mix together.

Here's what one pump looks like.  It's luxurious and balm-like, instead of a thinner texture like a lotion. 

 Here, I spread the product out a bit so you can see the texture a little better.  It's extremely soft and velvety, and even though it's pretty thick, it doesn't feel heavy at all and soaks right into the skin.  It also smells lovely- very light and fresh.  

To test it out, I used it all over my face a few nights ago, but first, I took a picture of the wrinkles on my forehead to see what they would look like after the product was applied.  I wanted to see what kind of results happened right away.  So here's my before forehead wrinkles: 

And this is what they looked like immediately after applying the Ultra Lift 2-in-1: 

So right away, it plumped up the skin and reduced the wrinkles by quite a bit! But then the next morning,when I woke up, this is what I saw: 

I could barely make out where my wrinkles were- they were pretty much gone!  Now before you think this is a miracle product, I have to say that this effect was only temporary.  After I washed my face in the shower and the product was gone from my skin, it looked pretty much like it did the night before.  But, I've been using it for about a week now, and my wrinkles have definitely softened a bit.  
So will it actually get rid of wrinkles for good?  I'll just have to wait for that- the minimum you have to wait before you can expect to see any real results from a skin care product is about 4 weeks.  I'll post an update then with photos, so we can see if it actually reduced the wrinkles permanently.  


Even if it doesn't reduce my wrinkles on a long term basis, I'm still extremely happy with this product.  As long as I'm wearing it, my skin looks smooth, firm and wrinkle free! 
Has anyone tried this?  I'm excited to see if other people had the same experience as me! 

Neutrogena Clinical Review

 I wrote a post a while back on the new ion technology skincare, but I hadn't purchased it because I was still using my Garnier Ultra Lift Pro Gravity Defying Cream which I love and will definitely buy again! But, curiosity got the best of me- I can't resist a product that promises to prevent and eradicate wrinkles. 

So I purchased the starter kit at Walgreens, which has one tube of the Ion2 Serum, one tube of the Eye Activating Cream, and one Tube of the SPF 30 Activating Day Cream.  The kit orignally retailed for $40, but Walgreens was running a special for $10 off the Starter Kit.

According to the package:
"Healthy skin naturally restores itself with positively charged ion flow, which facilitates cell-to-cell communication. Dermatologists are now recognizing that as we age, this flow diminishes, leading to a breakdown in collagen that causes skin to lose shape and definition."

First, you apply the Ion2 Serum, which is gray in color (it goes on clear) and feels very silky, almost like primer.  Then you apply the eye cream and face cream to activate the serum.

Pros:  

• Makes the skin feel amazingly smooth and gets rid of redness. 
• Leaves skin perfectly primed for makeup. 
• After 4 weeks of use, the few wrinkles I had are, in my opinion, 90% gone!!
• The eye cream is one of the few that can be applied all around the eye, even on lids. 

 Cons: 

• The price is a bit higher than other drugstore anti-aging products. 
• The sizes of the tubes are smaller than other drugstore products.

Overall: 
I am extremely happy with this product!  It has worked better than any high-end product I've tried from Sephora and department stores.  It took a few weeks to see results, but that's normal in the skincare world.  Your skin takes about a month to shed and generate new skin cells, and many people get frustrated with a new product when they don't see results in a week.  My advice is be patient!  Oh, and try Neutrogena Clinical- it's amazing.

Here is a picture of results from their website www.neutrogenaclinical.com: My wrinkles weren't as deep as the ones in the before picture...more like the after pic, and this made them practically disappear.